Students wearing holsters trigger debate at A&M-CC

Some want right to carry gun at school

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times
Cameron Coley, 21, with the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi chapter of Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, stands outside the University Center on Tuesday with an empty holster.

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times
Cameron Coley,21, with the A&M-Corpus Christi chapter of the Students for Concealed Carry, stands outside the University Center Tuesday afternoon with an empty holster attached to his leg. The local group has joined thousands across nation in seeking the right for students to carry concealed weapons on college campuses.

The prospect of students carrying guns in backpacks wouldn't make Alan Gutierrez feel safer.

The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi police chief says that on the contrary, it could place his own force of 16 commissioned police officers in some precarious situations.

"More weapons isn't necessarily a good thing," Gutierrez said. "It would be hard for law enforcement to differentiate between the good guys and the bad guys."

Deadly weapons are prohibited at any educational institution in Texas -- carrying them on campuses is a third-degree felony. But a group of A&M-Corpus Christi students is promoting the view that, in light of deadly shootings at college campuses in Illinois and Virginia, civilians should have the right to defend themselves on campuses.

The A&M-Corpus Christi chapter of the Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is demonstrating this week by wearing empty handgun holsters as they go about their normal activities on campus. Cameron Corley, a 21-year-old accounting student from Corpus Christi and a representative for the organization, said that were someone to pull out a deadly weapon with the intention of harming other students, licensed concealed weapon carriers already at the scene could prevent major tragedies.

"Say a gunman were to come on campus -- a shooting would realistically only last 15 to 20 seconds," he said. "It would take a police officer (more) time to get there.

"I believe guns, in the right hands, are not a problem."

The group has grown to 37 members as of Tuesday, but Corley estimates at least 70 students campuswide, who haven't officially joined the group, support its philosophy. He said the national group has grown to 28,000 members.

Texas residents must be 21 to carry a concealed handgun and must have a relatively clean criminal record. The average age of A&M-Corpus Christi students is 26.

The group will continue wearing the holsters through the week. Gutierrez said while he appreciates others wanting to help, they could be of assistance instead by informing authorities if they know of anyone planning violence or exhibiting warning signs of violence.

"The best thing would be to try and deter it from happening at all," he said.

Since January, four cases of unlawful carrying of a weapon have occurred at the campus, according to university police activity logs.

"I don't think it's anybody's job to try and be a hero," said junior communications student Deeadra Piper, a former Army enlistee. "There's a lot of young people on this campus, and a lot of people can't control their anger."

Junior Gilbert Morales and graduate student Chris Barrett -- both history students -- discussed the issue Tuesday while manning a student voting booth.

"It's a tricky issue," Morales said. "Most people will say if someone is pointing a gun at you, you want to be able to point a gun right back at them."